24/09/2026
Jane Beard had wanted to become a celebrant for about ten years.
She just always thought of it as something she'd do in retirement, one day, eventually.
Then in mid 2023, her soon to be son in law rang her with a question. Was she still thinking about becoming a celebrant? Because if she was, he wanted her to marry them.
That phone call was the push she needed. Jane signed up with Rose Training soon after.
Her first wedding was her own daughter's in January 2024.
Funerals were a different story. Jane learnt them as part of her training but didn't feel especially drawn to them at first. She remembers telling her mum about having to study funeral ceremonies. Her mum said Jane would be great at them, and even joked that Jane could do hers one day.
While Jane was still waiting on her registration to come through for weddings, her mother died suddenly. It was between Christmas and New Year, in the small country town where they lived. No celebrants were available.
So Jane stepped up.
Since then, she has been building her celebrant business ever since and has conducted more funerals than weddings. In a small town where referrals are everything, word spread. There are plenty of celebrants around, but not many who do funerals.
Jane found her niche in the place she least expected to look. And she loves the work.
